Spotted an interesting discussion online yesterday about the Barbie Café at Chadstone’s social quarter, and it’s got me thinking about one of those modern retail practices that really gets under my skin. Someone noticed they’re operating as card-only but still slapping a surcharge on every transaction - which, if you know anything about ACCC rules, sounds dodgy as hell.

Here’s the thing that frustrates me: we’ve somehow normalised being nickel-and-dimed at every turn. Remember when businesses absorbed their operating costs into their prices like civilised establishments? Now it’s all “convenience fees,” “service charges,” and my personal favourite - surcharges on payment methods that are literally your only option.